 | "In Spain housing has long been conceived as an investment rather than a right of citizens" 19-06-2008 “In Spain housing has long been conceived as an investment rather than a
right of citizens”, says José Luis Arroyo, responsible for housing at the
Spanish Youth Council. Compared to other European countries, Spain has
experienced one of the most profound increases in housing prices in recent
years. This dramatic rise has especially affected young people, who often find
themselves unable to obtain an affordable home. Many would have to allocate
around 85 percent of their income to buy or rent a house on the free market. The
fact that young people in Spain suffer a high degree of job insecurity restricts
their ability to access the housing market even further. As a result, a lot of
young people are financially unable to leave their parents’ home. In Madrid for
example, only 13 per cent of people between the age of 18 and 24 have been able
to move out of their parental home. Only for the segment of the population aged
30-34 this number reaches a 71 percent rate. This delay in emancipation, as the
Spanish like to call it, has been linked with many social and psychological
problems such as family dependence, lack of space for personal development, lack
of self-esteem and personal frustration. The Spanish Youth Council (Consejo de
la Juventud de España) is actively involved in the country’s housing issue.
What should be the role of the administration in tackling the
housing problems for young people in Spain?
“The Spanish Youth Council believes the government should coordinate and
promote a public housing rental pool as happens in other EU member states. In
the short-term, the government should promote strategies to take vacant houses
to the rental housing market, hereby increasing the supply of housing. The
different governments, both regional and national have undertaken several
initiatives to increase the offer of rental housing, such as the incentives
directed at the owners of vacant houses. The CJE considers that if such measures
are not effective enough, punitive measures should be taken.”
Recently, the Spanish government set up a subsidy scheme to support young
people to pay their rent. Persons between 22 and 30 years old who do not earn
more than 22.000 Euros a year may apply for state assistance. The rent support
is a fixed amount of 210 Euros per month. Even though this subsidy may at least
be seen as a temporary solution, it has produced rather adverse effects.
What is your opinion on the ‘rent subsidy’? What are its main
positive and negatives sides?
We believe it is a positive measure aimed at helping young people in paying
their rent. However, this measure could have an inflationary effect if the
demand of rental housing exceeds the housing offer. This is why the CJE thinks
it is necessary set up a coordinated strategy among all public administration
bodies. This strategy should take the large number of vacant houses back to the
housing market in Spain.
The Spanish government has only recently started (4 years ago) to
become active in the field of housing. What explains this relatively ‘late’
interest in housing policy?
Housing in Spain has long been conceived as an investment rather than a right
of citizens. Different governments, especially the conservatives, have taken
decisions aimed at promoting the free market in property, giving fiscal benefits
for buying rather than renting, liberalizing land, constructing less subsidized
housing and promoting credit, which has had a strong effect on the indebtedness
of families buying their houses.
Before winning the election, President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero expressed
the need to create a Ministry of Housing and facilitate access to the housing
market for young people and all others who have been excluded from the housing
market because of the rising prices. However, despite developing an Emergency
Plan and a Housing Plan to substantially increase public spending in the field
of housing, the Spanish Government, which only has limited competencies in this
area, cannot cope with the housing needs of young people in Spain. Moreover, the
construction of housing with the consequently disproportionate increase in
prices has been an attractive investment for small savers and investors. The
importance of the sector in creating jobs also prevents government authorities
and economic powers to undertake the necessary reforms in this area.
The high prices on the housing market prevent young people from
leaving their parents’ house. This fact is apparently linked to all kinds of
psychological and social problems. How do you see these negative ‘emancipation
effects’ reflected in society?
The result of late emancipation, is the lengthening of teenage life and a
lack of the assumption of responsibilities. This is one of the most damaging
effects, which is reflected in the fact that Spain has the lowest birth rates in
the developed world and lower worker mobility. Late emancipation also has
negative effects on the productivity of our economy and development of our
Welfare State, because the latter’s role is often fulfilled by the family. I
believe particularly, that high housing prices hamper the resolution of social
conflicts and have a very negative effect on achieving equality of women and
their full autonomy in decision-making. Because there are still significant
disparities on the labour market, women often remain economically dependent on
their partner. Many victims of male violence argue that they did not leave their
partner earlier because of their inability to cope with the costs of housing.
Many young people in Spain continue to live with their parents
for a long time. Financially, this must actually be rather attractive for them
because it should allow them to save a lot of money. For the parents however, it
must be quite a financial burden. What could or should be the role of parents in
encouraging young people to live alone?
The family has played a vital role in Spain. In relation to various social
problems, is has become the main social ‘cushion’. Because of the absence of
social and economic welfare under the fascist dictatorship of Franco, the family
has become very important..
Our democracy has faced major challenges, such as the need to ensure health, education and infrastructure. High unemployment and a low activity rate have also been important challenges in Spain. Meanwhile, access to housing and emancipation has been forgotten by the government. The Catholic importance of the family and the importance of home ownership as opposed to renting mean that many people do not develop their emancipatory project until they purchase a home. What does the Spanish Youth Council do to tackle the problem? Is
action restricted to lobbying or are there other activities as well? In how far
can the Youth Council influence the policy making process in this field?
LinksThe CJE plays an important role in the dialogue with the administration. It promotes networks that work on the problem of emancipation. On the other hand, the Youth Council provides training and organizes debates among its member organizations. The CJE has also undertaken some initiatives such as the creation of a Web Portal, http://www.ayudasviviendajoven.es/. The website aims at facilitating access to information about housing, such as renting, legislation, housing support etc. We also publish a weekly newsletter that provides information on the latest developments in housing policy. Moreover, the CJE analyses the development of the emancipation rates and the accessibility to housing for young people. The results of this analysis are published quarterly. Visit the website of the Spanish Youth Council back |
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